Wire pay-off reel



May 18, 1948. w, v LARNER 2,441,639

WIRE RAY-OFF REEL Filed Dec. 29 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Wu. L/AM MLAR/VER, by:

bxhmw May 18, 1948.

W. V. LARNER WIRE PAY-OFF REEL Filed Des .29, 1944 3 Shegts-Sheet 2 INVENTOR- W/LL/AM KAA/PNEP,

Patented May 18, 1948 WIRE PAY-OFF REEL William V. Larner, Par-ma, Ohio, minor to The American Steel and Wire Company of New Jersey, a corporation of New Jersey Application December 29, 1944, Serial No. 570,352

Claims. 1

This invention relates to. a pay-off reel for feeding wire from coils or bundles.

Among the objects of the invention is the provision of an improved pay-off reel permitting the high-speed feeding-oi wire from coils or bundles.

Another object of the invention is the provision of such pay-off reel, the construction of which is such as to prevent the tangles between adjacent convolutions of the coils or bundles during feeding.

These and further objects of the invention will appear in the following description.

In the feeding of devices such as wire fabricating machines with wire it is convenient and customary to supply the wire to the machine from coils or bundles, such coils or bundles being supported coaxially on pay-off reels with the ends of adjacent bundles welded together to permit the continuous feeding out of thewire from the several bundles. By the term wire as used herein there is meant to include rods of such gauge that they may be fed in such manner, as well as prod ucts ordinarily known as wire. In the conventional feeding of fabricating machines by wire, as mentioned above, particularly at high speeds, several convolutions from the bundle are frequently pulled out therefrom by the wire being fed to the machine. In order to eliminate tangles which would result from the pulling together of such convolutions and to prevent their being carried, with the wire being fed, to the guiding sheave or the like where it would jam the wire and stop its progress in the machine, there has been provided on the feeding-off end of the pay-ofi reel means intended to separate the convolutions of the wire and to eliminate the feeding off of all' but the terminal portion of the wire. Such coil separators have frequently taken the form of rings mounted on the pay-off end 01 the reel so that they are slightly spaced from the reel, such rings being made of greater diameter than the reel so that the wire being fed off in a line coaxial of the reel follows progressively around the separator ring.

Such prior art separator rings have proved to have a certain value for separating convolutions of the coils, and have consequently enjoyed quite extensive use. They fail, however, to separate a snarl or tangle which has started in the wire any great distance from the separator and has becomepulled progressively tighter as it has traveled toward the pay-off end of the reel. Such snarls are not infrequent, since no particular care is taken in the manner of laying up the convolutions in the bundles, and since the subseforming of snarls and 2 quent handling of the bundles is apt to displace convolutions so that they interlock in the bundle.

'The present invention provides a construction of a coil separator having yielding resilient arms with which the wire being fed off progressively comes into contact. By reason of such yielding wiping contact of by reason of the fact that the wire progressively travels over the ends of each of a plurality of such yielding arms which then snap back to their normal positions, adjacent convolutions of the wire are automatically separated.

The invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a view in side elevation of the reel and coil separator of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a view in plan of the reel and coil separator shown in Figure 1; t Figure 3 is a view in side elevation of the coil separator employed with the apparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2, the resilient I arms being removed;

Figure 4 is a view in plan of the coil separator shown in Figure 3 with the resilient arms in place;

Figure 5 is a viewin side elevation of a modification of the coil separator; and

Figure 6 is a plan view of the modification of the coil separator shown in Figure 5'.

The pay-oil reelof the present invention consists of a cylindrical orv substantially cylindrical core 2 which may be positioned on any suitable support in such relationship to the device being fed that the axis of the reel lies substantially in the vertical line through which the wire is fed. As shown in Figure 1, the reel may be supported upon a, circular table 4 supported by means of flanged wheel 6 on circular track I through the medium of the inner and outer wheel supporting brackets 8 and ill, respectively. Locatedo'n top of reel 2, which in the embodiment shown is hollow, is the coil separating device indicated generally bythe reference character i2. A bundle of wire l4 located on core 2 is shown in Figure l with its free end is being pulled upwardly therefrom so that it travels in a generally vertical direction over a feed sheave, (not shown) into any desired device such as a fabricating machine. Such sheave, which is preferably mounted a substantial distance above the core 2 with its entering side substantially tangent to the axis of the the arms'with the wire and accuses a9 described in the patent to Lisy, No. 2,349,873, dated May 30. 1944.

The coil separating device l2, which is more fully shown in Figures 3 and 4, consists of a cylindrical head plate lb of such diameter that it fits snugly within the hollow upper end of reel 2 on top of a shoulder formed on its inner surface as shown in Figure 1. On the upper surface of head plate It is positioned a. section of bent pipe 36, with the center of the pipe in contact with and secured to the center of plate it. The upwardly directed ends of pipe 2b are braced and secured to plate it; by means of spacer barsor cradle blocks 26, which may have slight depressions in the upper surfaces thereof upon which the bottom surface of the pipe may rest to insure stable mounting thereof. Pipe 2% and the spacer bars may be conveniently held together and to the head plate it by means of' welding.

Also located on top of head plate it and likewise located in substantially radial relationship therewith are two short pieces of pipe 22 and 2d. In order to allow the use of two long pieces of cable to form the four resilient arms of the coil separating device, pipes 22 and 26 are elevated above pipe 20 by means of outer and inner spacer bars or cradle blocks 28 and 30, respectively. Blocks 3!] are made of somewhat less height than blocks 28 in order to give the arms supported by pipes 22 and 24 approximately the same upward tilt as those supported by pipe 20. Resilient arms 32 and 34, which are made of twisted wire cable, are made in one piece, with the center thereof extending through pipe 26. Arms 36 and 38, likewise made of twisted wire cable, are integral as shown, portions on each side of the center passing through pipes 22 and 25. Set screws 40 and Ml in pipes 26 and 24, respectively, are screwed down onto the cables after they are in place and hold the cables securely against lengthwise displacement.

The cylindrical head plate of the coil separating device is provided on its bottom surface with two oppositely directed L-shaped brackets 46, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. Such brackets cooperate with the diam'etral bar 5d of substantial breadth which is fitted across the inside of the top of the reel 2,'the upper surface of bar substantially coinciding with the plane of the shoulder in the core on which plate 98 rests, as shown in Figure 1, and is connected to the reel as by welding. When the coil separator is placed within the upper end of the reel on bar 5H and is turned to engage the horizontal portions of the brackets dd under the bar, it is held stably against displacement. Preferably the horizontal portions of brackets at engaging the bottom of bar 50 are so directed relative to the direction of unwinding of the coil or bundle that the tendency is to tighten them against the bar 5@. The coil separating device may be easily placed on the-reel or removed therefrom by grasping upstanding handles 52 Welded to the top of plate id.

The action of the resilient arms 32, 34, 35, and 38 will be more fully understood by a consideration of Figure l, in which the end of the coil id being discharged has progressively contacted arms 32, 38, 3d, and 38 in its progress from the top of the reel to a point where it has completely freed itself from the resilient arms. To reach the latter point, the wire must travel so that it snaps progressively over the end of each of the resilient ing. Thus, the resilient arms act like interleaving lingers which yield sufliciently to avoid the aggravation of snarls or tangles but yet at the same time have sufilcient rigidity to constitute an effective separator between convolutions. The dimensions of the twisted cable suitable for such use naturally vary with the type of wire or rod being fed off the pay-off reel. It is preferred that a spring wire cable be employed and that the cable be of the so-called "inert lay" type, that is, one in which the elements have been so preformed that they have no inherent tendency to unravel. In order to prevent fraying of the ends, which are obviously subjected to considerable wear as the wire travels over them, the strands of the cable should be secured together at their ends as for instance by being welded in such manner that the ends are smooth and of substantially the same diameter as the remainder of the arms.

The modification of the coil separator, shown in Figures 5 and 6, has also been found to be useful particularly in applications where the lighter gauge wires are to be fed. In this modification, the cylindrical head plate 56 is provided on the top thereof with four cylindrical brackets 56, the bases of which are disposed at an angle to their axes. Brackets at are welded to plate 5d at points spaced equally from the center of the plate and with the axes of the brackets extending upwardly and outwardly in substantially radial planes. Four separate lengths of twisted wire cable Ed are provided, one for each bracket, and the cable is held in the brackets by means of set screws 58 which may be tightened up against the portions of the cables within the brackets. The coil separator of this modification is retained upon the reel in the same manner as that of the first modification, namely, by'being provided with two oppositely directed L-shaped brackets 62 on the bottom of the head plate, such brackets cooperating with the crossbar positioned at the top of the pay-ofi reel in the manner previously described.

The coil separator, shown in Figures 5 and 6, allows the feeding of a wire thereover with the use of less tension than is necessary with the use of the separator shown in Figures 1 to 4, inclusive. This follows as a result of the much greater angle which the resilient separator arms present in the second modification to the horizontal, thereby allowing the convolutions of the wire being fed to slip up the arms more easily. Such construction is especially useful where finer gauge wires are to be fed, and where it is not desired to subject them to too much tension. At the same time, arms as perform essentially the same function as that of arms 32, 35, 36, and 38, that is, they provide resilient yielding fingers which progressively interleave between the adjacent convolutions of the wire, thereby separating snarls and tangles between adjacent convolutions which may reach the separator.

Whereas I have illustrated and described preferred modifications of the improved pay-off reel and coil separator of the present invention, it is to be understood that the invention is capable of numerous variations obvious to those skilled in the art. The scope of the present invention is therefore to be defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A wire pay-off reel comprising a core adapted to receive one or more annular bundles of wire thereover, a support for said core, and a coil separator afiixed to the end of the core from which the wire is discharged, said coil separator comprising a support attached to the discharge end of the core, a plurality of angular-1y spaced coil separator arm securing members on the coil separator support directed in planes which are at least substantially radial of the core, and resilient coil separating arms projecting a substantial distance from the core held by the arm securing means, whereby wire drawn oil a wire bundle on the core in a direction at least substantially axially of the core deflects the resilient arms and travels over their ends successively.

2. A wire pay-ofi reel comprising a vertical core adapted to receive one or more annular bundles of wire thereover, a support for such core, and a coil separator amxed to the upper end of the core, from which the wire is discharged, said coil separator comprising a support of at least substantially the same size as the cross-section of the core attached to the core, a plurality of ang'ularly spaced coil separator arm securing members on the coil separator support directed in planes which are at least substantially radial of the core, and resilient coil separating arms held by the arm securing members and projecting a substantial distance from the core, whereby wire in the topmost convolution of wire drawn off a wire bundle on the core in a direction at least substantially axially of the core defleets the resilient arms and travels over their ends successively.

3. A wire pay-ofi real as set out in claim 2, in which the resilient arms are made of twisted wire cable, said arms having substantial stiffness and yet having sufliclent resilience to be deflected markedly as the wire being fed travels outwardly thereof and to regain substantially a radial position after the wire has passed the end thereof.

4. A wire pay-oil reel comprising a vertical substantially cylindrical core adapted to receive one or more annular bundles of wire thereover, a support forfsuch core to which the bottom of the core is attached, and a coil separator aiilxed to the upper end of the core, from which the wire is discharged, said coil separator comprising a support of at least substantially the same diameter as the core attached to the core, a plurality of coil separator arm securing members attached to the coil separator support in substantially uniformly' angularly spaced radial planes, and resilient coil separating arms held by the arm securing members and projecting a substantial distancefrom the core, said arms being directed atleast slightly upwardly, whereby wire in the topmost convolution of wire drawn off a wire bundle on the corein a direction at least substantially axially of the core deflects the resilient arms and travels over their ends successively.

5. A wire pay-ofi reel as set out in claim 4, in which the resilient arms are made of twisted wire cable, said arms having'substantial stiffness and yet having suflicient resilience to be deflected markedly as the wire being fed travels outwardly thereof and to regain substantially a radial position after the wire has passed the end fitting closely within the hollow discharge end of 7s the core, oppositely disposed L-shaped brackets on the bottom of said plate cooperating with the diametral bar in the core to hold the plate in place in the core, a plurality of coil separator arm securing members attached to the-top of the plate in substantially uniformly angularly spaced radial planes, and resilient coil separating arms held by the arm securing members and projecting a substantial distancefrom the core, said arms being directed at least slightly upwardly, whereby the wire in the topmost convolution of wire drawn off a wire bundle on the core in a direction at least substantially axially of the core deflects the resilient arms and travels over their ends successively.

'7. A wire pay-01f reel comprising a core adapted to receive one or more annular bundles of wire thereover, a support for such core, and a coil separator affixed to the end or the core from which the wire is discharged, said coil separator comprising a coil separator supporting plate attached to the discharge end of the core, a plurality of angularly spaced tubes on the coil separator supporting plate directed outwardly of the core in planes whichare at least substantially radial of the core and at a marked angle to the horizontal, said tubes having the bottom ends thereof disposed at an angle to their axes and aflixed to the supporting plate, and separate coil separating arms held in each tube and projecting a substan- ,tial distance from the core, the arms being stiff butresilient so that the wire drawn of! a wire bundle on the core in a direction at least substantially axially of the core deflects the arms and travels over their ends successively.

8. A wire pay-oil reel comprising a core adapted to receive one or more annular bundles of wire thereover, a support for such core, and a coil separator aflixed to the end of the core from which the wire is discharged, said coil separator comprising a coil separator supporting plate attached to the discharge end of the core, three angularly spaced tubes on the coil separator supporting plate directed in planes which are substantially radial of the core, one such tube being long and extending substantially equal distances on both sides of the center of the supporting plate, the ends of such long tube extending at slight angles away from the supporting plate, the other two tubes being short and being located on a common diameter substantially at right angles to the long tube, the two short tubes extending toward the center of the supporting plate but short of the first tube, the two short tubes being also slightly inclined upwardly in directions from the center of the supporting plate, the ends of the short tubes centrally oi the supporting plate being spaced from such plate a distance different from that at which the center of the long tube is spaced from the center of the supporting plate, coil separating arms held by the tubes projecting a substantial distance from the core, opposite arms being integral, thecentral portion of the member forming the arms held by the two short tubes crossing the center of the long tube, the arms being stifl but resilient so that wire drawn off a wire bundle on the core in a direction at least substantially axially of the core deflects the arms and travels over their ends successively.

ii. A wire pay-oil reel comprising a core adapte to receive one or more annular bundles of wire thereover, said core having an outside diameter less than the diameter of the annular openings of the bundles of wire to be placed thereon, and

a coil separator afilxed to the end of the core from which the wire is discharged, the discharge end of the core member being otherwise unobstructed, said coil separator comprising a plurality of angulariy spaced resilient arms projecting a substantial distance in approximately radial'planes beyond the core, whereby wire drawn 01! a wire bundle on the core in a direction at least substantially axially oi the core deflects the resilient arms and travels over their ends successively.

10. A wire pay-oi! reel comprising a substantia-lly vertical core adapted to receive one or more annular bundles of wire thereover, a. support for said core, the top of said core having an outside diameter less than the diameter of the annular openings of the bundles of the wire to be placed thereon, and a coil separator aflixed to the top of the core, said coil separator comprising a plurality of angularly spaced resilient arms projecting a substantial distance in approximately radial planes beyond the core, whereby wire drawn at! a wire bundle on the core in a direction at least 5 substantially axially of the core deflects the resilient arms and travels over their endssuccessively.

WIILIAM V. LARNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record the file oi this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 15 2,128,487 Klein Aug. 30, 1938 2,366,101 Grothey Dec. 26, 1944 

